{"id":289080,"date":"2025-06-06T14:58:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/?p=289080"},"modified":"2025-06-10T16:26:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T15:26:44","slug":"why-the-2025-un-ocean-conference-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/en\/opinion\/why-the-2025-un-ocean-conference-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the 2025 UN Ocean Conference matters!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the world prepares for the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, the stakes have never been higher. The ocean is in crisis – ecologically, economically and ethically. Decades of commodification have turned this important ecosystem into a vast, unregulated marketplace, enriching a few while degrading a resource vital to all. If governments are serious about delivering on their commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), UNOC3 must be a decisive turning point to reclaim and restore the ocean as a blue commons<\/em>: a shared natural and cultural heritage to be governed with justice, equity, and sustainability at its core.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Photo: Fishermen \u00a9 ATM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In his powerful new documentary Ocean<\/em>, David Attenborough reminds us that \u201cthe fate of humanity is inseparable from the fate of the sea\u201d. It\u2019s a timely message because next week, global leaders, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, youth activists, and civil society will gather in Nice, France, for the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Our ocean is in crisis. Decades of overfishing, pollution, seabed destruction, and accelerating climate change have pushed marine ecosystems to the brink. And yet, the ocean remains our lifeline: it feeds billions, absorbs a quarter of global CO\u2082 emissions, regulates the climate, and sustains rich biodiversity along with the livelihoods of coastal communities. Protecting one of Earth\u2019s most vital systems is not optional, it is existential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The ocean as a commons<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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In his landmark book The Blue Commons<\/em>,<\/a> economist Guy Standing argues that we are facing the marine equivalent of the enclosure movement: vast swathes of ocean are being handed over- via licenses, subsidies, and corporate influence – to industrial fishing fleets, extractive companies, and private developers. The ocean economy has been captured by elites, while small-scale fishers, coastal communities, and marine biodiversity bear the brunt of collapsing fish stocks, habitat destruction, and rising inequality. Standing\u2019s message is urgent but clear: we must reclaim the ocean as a commons, governed in the public interest, for the benefit of all. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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From 9 – 13 June 2025, the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3)<\/a> will bring together governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, youth, and private sector actors in Nice, France, to mobilise action, forge partnerships, and make new voluntary commitments for a healthy, resilient ocean. It aims to advance equitable, sustainable ocean-based economies, expand marine protected areas (in support of the 30×30 goal), and strengthen ocean governance frameworks, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the High Seas Treaty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Key expected outcomes include:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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